Wednesday, April 16, 2008

The Pope goes to America

Gordon Brown must be furious (as, by all accounts, he usually is these days) because whoever organised his visit to the US - ‘one of the most important of his premiership’ - failed to take account of the fact that it clashes with that of His Holiness, and the dour puritanism of the Scottish Presbyterian will be completely upstaged by the majesty and splendour of the Bavarian Catholic. So all the column inches and all television footage are dedicated to matters papal, not only because the Pope is more photogenic, but also because he is infinitely more interesting than the Prime Minister.

The most unfortunate diary clash comes on Friday. While Mr Brown is delivering his keynote speech on foreign policy - calling for the reshaping of the UN – Herr Ratzinger will be addressing that very body. Mr Brown’s criticisms will be somewhat overshadowed by papal blessings, as the Pope is the only religious leader on the planet who is permitted to address the UN General Assembly. He is, after all, the head of a foreign state with which the United States maintains diplomatic relations. Vatican City may be small, but the implications of its foreign policy are sometimes very large indeed. His Holiness will doubtless echo the theme of his predecessor Pope Paul VI who in the first papal address in 1965 called the organisation ‘a bridge between peoples’ – an interesting echo of his own role as ‘Pontifex Maximus’.

Doubtless he will also be talking a lot of good – the plight of Hispanic immigrants, leading prayers at Ground Zero, challenging President Bush on the Iraq war and capital punishment, and affirming him in his opposition to abortion, gay marriage and stem cell research. But there is also the unavoidable reality that in recent year the US Roman Catholic Church, which has around 65 million followers, has paid $2 billion to settle clergy sexual abuse cases.

The Pope told reporters on board his plane that he was ‘deeply ashamed’ of sexual abuse by US clergy, and he has vowed to work against a recurrence, assuring the faithful that he will ‘absolutely exclude paedophiles from the sacred ministry’. He added: ‘It is more important to have good priests than many priests. We will do everything possible to heal this wound.’

Except, it seems, agreeing to meet some victims of clerical abuse and their families.

And except, it seems, explaining why the Vatican continues to shelter Cardinal Bernard Law, former head of the Archdiocese of Boston, who, according to Christopher Hitchens, ‘was not only aware of egregious sexual misconduct among his subordinates but was apparently engaged in elaborate efforts to cover up incident after incident of child rape.

‘To be specific, the cardinal admitted in a deposition that he knew that the Rev. John Geoghan had raped at least seven boys in 1984 before he approved Geoghan's transfer to another parish where other boys were at risk. Further disclosures revealed that the Rev. Paul Shanley, who at one point was facing trial for 10 counts of child rape and six counts of indecent assault and battery, had been moved from ministry to ministry in what amounted to an attempt to protect him. Law himself lied to a West Coast bishop about Shanley's history and certified in writing that another rapist priest, the Rev. Redmond Raux, had "nothing in his background" to make him "unsuitable to work with children.’

If His Holiness were really prepared to do ‘everything possible’ to heal this appalling wound, he would not only remove Cardinal Law from his Vatican sinecure, he would also remove his cardinal’s hat. As Mr Hitchens states:

‘I think that we are entitled to hear, as the vicar of Christ and holder of the Keys of Peter favors us with his presence, whether he regards his brother Bernard Law as an honored guest in the holy city or as someone who has been given asylum. And even if we cannot get a satisfactory answer, it is essential that we hear the question. Will the press do its job, and will our elected representatives remember their responsibilities to so many thousands of tortured and exploited children? Some of us will be watching and keeping an account.’

Perhaps at this point, His Holiness will be praying that Mr Brown might steal the limelight.

UPDATEIt is reported that His Holiness, 'in a dramatic surprise', has privately met with victims of sexual abuse by priests, consoling them and promising them his prayers.

The 25-minute meeting, believed to be the first time a pope had met victims of such sexual abuse, was held in the Vatican Embassy chapel and kept secret until after it was over.

"They prayed with the Holy Father, who afterward listened to their personal accounts and offered them words of encouragement and hope," a Vatican statement said of the abuse victims. "His holiness assured them of his prayers for their intentions, for their families and for all victims of sexual abuse."

11 Comments:

One might have thought that his Foreign Secretary would have advised against a visit right now, and at least arranged with our Washington Embassy a full gamut of press opportunities for the hapless PM.

I don't suppose this administrative hiccup has anything to do with Miliband being touted as a future Labour lreader again!

So all the column inches and all television footage are dedicated to matters papal, not only because the Pope is more photogenic, but also because he is infinitely more interesting than the Prime Minister.

"Doubtless he will also be talking a lot of good – the plight of Hispanic immigrants..."

Doubtless he will be encouraging the US to grant summary amnesty to those who have trespassed into the United States. If he really cared about the Mexican nationals, the Pope would work to root out the corruption that is driving them from their homeland. Instead, I expect he will wag his erstwhile Hitler Youth finger at that majority of Americans who insist on the rule of law.

Do we really deserve to be lectured on matters of immigration/integration by a member of the Hitler Youth?

In 1962 The Vatican issued an injunction to Bishops to screen candidates for seminaris carefully. the US Bishops full of 1960s hippie values did not and seem to have allowed a cohort of pederast priests loose in greater numbers than in the past.

Surely as the Lambeth Conference looms The Bearded One and his very unwise companions could reflect upon the nature of those words in the XXXIX Articles and obviate the need to liquidate Church assets in future court cases - learning a lesson from US venality in not being diligent in screening applicants for the priesthood

No one is making you watch the Pope turn your tv off. The pope was force into the Hitler youth with many other youths during this time maybe you should read your history books. Americans are the worst when it comes to History most of them don't even know who was the first president of the United States.

"....the Pope is more photogenic, but also because he is infinitely more interesting than the Prime Minister."

is a stroke of lierary genius, your grace...

I am seeking ordination could I be your Archdeacon?

Oh and "...remove Cardinal Law from his Vatican sinecure,...."

another wicked stroke... Well done your Grace well done.

One more thing your Grace, acording to canon law you could Publicly Censure Cnd. Law, and this would lead to an ecclisiastical court before his peers then he could be formaly repremanded... all it would take is one Priest to file a Censure with his Diocean Bishop to get the 'ball rolling', his office would then be filled by his Curate (if he has one) until a suitable replacemant was found.

Your Grace as a faithful steward of your word, and recognizing the authority of the Saints of God you hold thru Apostolic Sucession, it is my pleasure to give you the 'link' to the Roman Catholic Code of Canon Law in our most beloved tounge, English.

About His Grace:

Archbishop Cranmer takes as his inspiration the words of Sir Humphrey Appleby: ‘It’s interesting,’ he observes, ‘that nowadays politicians want to talk about moral issues, and bishops want to talk politics.’ It is the fusion of the two in public life, and the necessity for a wider understanding of their complex symbiosis, which leads His Grace to write on these very sensitive issues.

Cranmer's Law:

"It hath been found by experience that no matter how decent, intelligent or thoughtful the reasoning of a conservative may be, as an argument with a liberal is advanced, the probability of being accused of ‘bigotry’, ‘hatred’ or ‘intolerance’ approaches 1 (100%).”

Follow His Grace on

The cost of His Grace's conviction:

His Grace's bottom line:

Freedom of speech must be tolerated, and everyone living in the United Kingdom must accept that they may be insulted about their own beliefs, or indeed be offended, and that is something which they must simply endure, not least because some suffer fates far worse. Comments on articles are therefore unmoderated, but do not necessarily reflect the views of Cranmer. Comments that are off-topic, gratuitously offensive, libelous, or otherwise irritating, may be summarily deleted. However, the fact that particular comments remain on any thread does not constitute their endorsement by Cranmer; it may simply be that he considers them to be intelligent and erudite contributions to religio-political discourse...or not.

The Anglican Communion has no peculiar thought, practice, creed or confession of its own. It has only the Catholic Faith of the ancient Catholic Church, as preserved in the Catholic Creeds and maintained in the Catholic and Apostolic constitution of Christ's Church from the beginning.Dr Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1945-1961

British Conservatism's greatest:

The epithet of 'great' can be applied only to those who were defining leaders who successfully articulated and embodied the Conservatism of their age. They combined in their personal styles, priorities and policies, as Edmund Burke would say, 'a disposition to preserve' with an 'ability to improve'.

I am in politics because of the conflict between good and evil, and I believe that in the end good will triumph.Margaret Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS.(Prime Minister 1979-1990)

We have not overthrown the divine right of kings to fall down for the divine right of experts.Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC.(Prime Minister 1957-1963)

Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.Sir Winston Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC (Can).(Prime Minister 1940-1945, 1951-1955)

I am not struck so much by the diversity of testimony as by the many-sidedness of truth.Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC.(Prime Minister 1923-1924, 1924-1929, 1935-1937)

If you believe the doctors, nothing is wholesome; if you believe the theologians, nothing is innocent; if you believe the military, nothing is safe.Robert Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, PC.(Prime Minister 1885-1886, 1886-1892, 1895-1902)

I am a Conservative to preserve all that is good in our constitution, a Radical to remove all that is bad. I seek to preserve property and to respect order, and I equally decry the appeal to the passions of the many or the prejudices of the few.Benjamin Disraeli KG, PC, FRS, Earl of Beaconsfield.(Prime Minister 1868, 1874-1880)

Public opinion is a compound of folly, weakness, prejudice, wrong feeling, right feeling, obstinacy, and newspaper paragraphs.Sir Robert Peel, Bt.(Prime Minister 1834-1835, 1841-1846)

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